WIAC Women's Basketball Tournament Memories

WIAC Women's Basketball Tournament Memories

2008 Tournament

UW-Stevens Point (#3) won the second tournament title in program history with a 62-50 victory at UW-Eau Claire (#1) in front of 1,479 spectators at W.L. Zorn Arena. It marked the first loss by a No. 1 seed in the 10-year history of the tournament (29-1) and the Pointers became the second team in league archives to win back-to-back tournament road games (UW-Platteville in 2001). UW-Eau Claire got within 52-50 at 3:52 on a free throw by Ashley Anderson, but UW-Stevens Point converted eight-of-10 free throws and held the Blugolds scoreless. UW-Eau Claire led 17-11 at 9:59 of the first half, but UW-Stevens Point closed half on a 16-8 run. Neither team led by more than five points in the second half until the final 3:52. Chelsea Kranz led the Pointers with 15 points, while Haley Houghton chipped in 13 points. Amanda Zenner recorded a team-leading 14 points for the Blugolds

UW-Stevens Point upended UW-Whitewater (#2), 79-71, in the semifinals after jumping to a 14-8 advantage at 15:37 of the first half. UW-Whitewater’s only lead was 21-20 at 8:48 mark on a layup by Lindsey Buechner. The Warhawks trimmed the deficit to 45-41 with 17:31 left, but the Pointers countered with a 10-4 run for a 55-44 lead at 14:11 and UW-Whitewater got no closer than six points the rest of the game. Haley Houghton led the Pointers with 23 points, including 12 in the first half on four three-pointers. She also added a team-best eight rebounds. UW-Whitewater’s Tiffany Morton had a game-high 12 rebounds and team-leading 19 points. The Warhawks were making their first semifinal appearance since 2000.

UW-Stout (#4) improved to 9-1 in quarterfinal games with a thrilling 65-63 overtime triumph over UW-La Crosse (#5). It was just the second overtime game in tournament history. The Blue Devils’ Charlee Edwards hit the game-winning alley-oop bank shot on an inbounds pass at the buzzer. UW-Stout took a 45-37 lead with 11:04 remaining in regulation on a basket by Dana Churchill. UW-La Crosse had a 55-51 advantage with 4:45 left, but UW-Stout sent game into overtime tied at 59 when Julia Hirssig hit one-of-two free throws with eight seconds remaining. Hirssig had a game-high 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Edwards added 17 points. Mandy Stevens led UW-La Crosse with 18 points and six steals.

UW-Eau Claire’s Rachel Mueggenborg set a tournament record with nine three-point field goals made in a 73-43 quarterfinal win over UW-River Falls (#8) and finished the game with 29 points.

2007 Tournament

UW-Stout (#1) became the first team in WIAC history to win three consecutive tournament championships with a 73-61 triumph over UW-Eau Claire (#3) at Johnson Fieldhouse in front of 2,467 onlookers. The Blue Devils led from the opening tipoff and led 25-13 at the 6:10 mark before a 9-2 run gave them a 34-15 advantage with 4:08 left in the first half. UW-Stout's lead peaked at 20 points (57-37) with 11:21 remaining in the game. UW-Eau Claire cut the deficit to 70-61 with 40 seconds left. Kelsey Duoss registered a game-high 19 points and 13 rebounds for UW-Stout, while Savannah Oeltjen scored nine of her 13 points in the second half. Michelle Burns led the Blugolds with 15 points.

UW-Eau Claire’s Heather Witt set a tournament record with seven steals in a 67-62 quarterfinal win over UW-La Crosse (#6). The game featured four ties and eight lead changes in second half, but with the game tied at 56 with 6:56 remaining, the Blugolds took the lead for good on a layup by Witt. UW-La Crosse got within 64-60 on a layup by Amanda Waldvogel, but Heidi Arciszewski hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining. Arciszewski led four Blugolds in double-figures with 22 points, while Brittanni Hakanson contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds. UW-La Crosse’s Katy Searing grabbed a game-best 16 rebounds and added 10 points, while Nicole Palmer recorded a team-high 12 points.

UW-Platteville (#7) stunned UW-Whitewater (#2) with a 75-74 victory in the quarterfinals, marking the second time in league history a No. 7 seed has beaten a No. 2 seed (Platteville over Oshkosh in 2001). UW-Platteville's Lisa Grantman hit a three-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining and UW-Whitewater's half-court shot at the buzzer hit the back of the rim. The Warhawks took a 74-72 lead on Tiffany Morton's two free throws with 15.6 seconds left. UW-Whitewater led 57-41 with 14:10 remaining when UW-Platteville scored 13 straight points to get within 57-54 with 8:14 left in the contest. The Pioneers tied the game at 72-72 with 35 seconds left on a layup and free throw by Liz Tesch. Tesch led four Pioneers in double-figures with a game-high 29 points, while Sarah Moran led the Warhawks with 16 points and four steals.

For the second time in tournament history a No. 5 seed beat a No. 4 seed when UW-River Falls (#5) upended UW-Stevens Point (#4) by a 70-59 margin. The win also marked the first quarterfinal victory for the Falcons since 2001. Trailing 63-58 with 7:29 left, UW-River Falls went on an 11-0 run as UW-Stevens Point missed nine of its next 10 shots. The Pointers led 28-21 at 5:22 of first half and made 10 of their first 16 three-point shots. Traci Reimann led five Falcons in double-figures with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Kim Sorenson added 12 points and four assists, while Megan Lindman had 11 points and Melanie Preiner and Kelsie Flanscha each had 10 points. Laura Neuenfeldt and Haley Houghton each had 15 points for UW-Stevens Point, which lost in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2000.

2006 Tournament

UW-Stout (#1) claimed its second straight tournament crown after an 84-70 win over UW-Stevens Point (#3) at Johnson Fieldhouse with a paid audience of 1,825. UW-Stevens Point closed within 30-25 at the 5:05 mark before UW-Stout used a 14-7 run to close the half. UW-Stout's lead peaked at 78-60 at the 5:30 mark and the Pointers got no closer than 10 points in second half. The Blue Devils’ Molly Hendricks scored 15 of her 18 points in the first half, while Kelsey Duoss finished with a team-high 19 points. UW-Stevens Point's Cassandra Schultz scored 15 of her game-best 20 points in the final 15 minutes, while Nathalie Lechault contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.

UW-La Crosse (#4) earned the first quarterfinal win in program history with a 63-53 victory over UW-River Falls (#5). The Eagles never trailed in the game and led by as many as 17 points in the first half. UW-River Falls cut the deficit to 39-37 with 12:59 left in the contest before UW-La Crosse went on an 11-0 run. All five UW-La Crosse starters scored in double-figures, led by Nicole Palmer’s 17 points. The Falcons were 12-of-12 from the free-throw stripe in the contest.

UW-Stout narrowly escaped with an 80-76 quarterfinal triumph over UW-Whitewater (#8) for the smallest margin of victory by a No. 1 seed over a No. 8 seed. The Blue Devils led 68-48 with 6:48 left in the game before the Warhawks got within 74-72 with 28 seconds left. UW-Stout hit six free throws in final 20 seconds to survive. UW-Whitewater shot 56 percent from the field in the second half. Kesley Duoss poured in a game-high 29 points for the Blue Devils, while Lindsey Geissler added 17 points, including 13-of-15 shooting from the free-throw line. Mary Donohoo led the Warhawks with 18 points and Trisha Thill contributed 16 points.

2005 Tournament

UW-Stout (#1) won the second tournament title in program history, and first since 2002, with a 68-53 triumph over UW-Oshkosh (#3) at Johnson Fieldhouse in front of 1,203 spectators. The Blue Devils led 41-27 with 15:48 left in the game and the Titans went on an 11-4 run to close the gap to 45-40 at the 7:23 mark. UW-Stout’s Joanna Bird hit back-to-back three-pointers for a 51-43 advantage with 5:54 left in the game. The loss marked the Titans’ third to the Blue Devils during the season. Lindsey Erichson and Lindsey Geissler each scored 13 points for UW-Stout, including nine apiece in the first half, while Laurie Turtenwald led the Ttians with 15 points.

UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire (#5) played the first overtime game in tournament archives and the Blue Devils emerging with a 70-65 semifinal win. With the score tied at 61, UW-Stout's Kelsey Duoss missed two free throws with two seconds left in regulation. UW-Eau Claire’s Jessica Dickey hit two free throws with 3:46 left in overtime to get the Blugolds within 66-65, but Duoss made a field goal at the 1:36 mark to put the Blue Devils ahead 68-65. UW-Eau Claire led 30-18 with 2:16 left in the first half, but the second half of the game featured 10 tied scores with neither team leading by more than four points. UW-Stout’s Lindsey Erickson scored 12 of her 20 points in the first half, while Duoss finished with a game-best 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. Emilee Planert, Katie Murphy and Dickey each tallied 11 points for the Blugolds, while Michelle Burns grabbed 11 rebounds.

2004 Tournament

UW-Stevens Point (#1) secured the first tournament crown in school history with a 91-77 victory over UW-Oshkosh (#2) at Berg Gymnasium with a crowd of 920 in attendance. The Titans were appearing in the championship contest for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Pointers opened up leads of 8-0 and 15-3 in the contest and led by at least eight points the remainder of the game as the Titans cut the lead to 76-68 and 78-70. Amanda Nechuta grabbed a tournament record 18 rebounds for UW-Stevens Point and poured in a game-high 32 points - the second-highest total in tournament history. The Pointers’ Cassandra Schultz contributed 28 points. Kay Mikolajczak led four Titans in double-figures with 19 points.

The Pointers advanced to the championship with an 83-67 win over UW-Stout (#4). UW-Stevens Point set a tournament record with 34 free throws made (34-of-44) (77.3 percent). Amanda Nechuta led five players in double-figures with 24 points and also grabbed a game-best nine rebounds. Laura Verdegan led UW-Stout with 16 points, five steals and four blocked shots, while Sara Kahl contributed 15 points.

2003 Tournament

Over two thousand spectators at W.L. Zorn Arena watched UW-Eau Claire (#1) record the third tournament crown in program history with a 64-50 triumph over UW-Oshkosh (#3). After trailing 12-9, the Blugolds went on a 12-0 run to take a 21-12 lead with 7:47 remaining in the first half and never trailed again. UW-Eau Claire took a 31-25 advantage into halftime and used an 11-4 spurt to start the second half with the lead peaking at 18 (56-38) with 6:33 remaining in the game. Kristi Channing scored a game-best 21 points for UW-Eau Claire and also grabbed eight rebounds, while Brooke Wozniak contributed 10 points. UW-Oshkosh was led by Kay Mikolajczak’s 17 points and five rebounds with Melissa Schweitzer adding eight points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Titans reached the championship contest with an 83-76 win over UW-Stevens Point (#2) in the semifinals.
The Pointers held the lead for most of the first 14 minutes of the game before UW-Oshkosh took the lead at 21-20 with 6:16 left and never trailed again. The Titans pushed their advantage to 10 points with five seconds left in the first half before the Pointers’ Tara Schmitt dribbled the length of the court and made a layup at the buzzer to cut UW-Oshkosh’s lead to 40-32. UW-Stevens Point cut the lead to 49-48 on a basket by Amy Scott with 11:40 left in the game, but Melissa Schweitzer and Libby Sievert converted baskets to build the lead back to 53-48. Mikolajczak and Sievert took charge of the Titans’ attack, both scoring 20 points. The Titans also received 18 points, five assists and three rebounds from Michele Rosicky and 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds from Schweitzer. Schmitt led the Pointers in scoring with 20 points, including 13 in the first half, while Amanda Nechuta recorded 17 points and five rebounds.

2002 Tournament

UW-Stout (#1) secured the first tournament championship in school archives with a 90-71 win over UW-Oshkosh (#3) at Johnson Fieldhouse with an audience of 1,354 in attendance. The win was the 13th consecutive triumph for the Blue Devils. UW-Stout took a 14-12 lead with 13:59 left on back-to-back layups by Bonnie Thoe and never trailed again. The Blue Devils took a 52-30 lead into halftime and held a 25-point advantage early in the second half and never let the lead slip to less than 17 points. Amy Zelinger recorded a game-high 21 points and seven assists for UW-Stout with five rebounds, while Stacie Anderson added 16 points and Sara Kahl 15 points. Zelinger had four three-pointers, including three in the second half. The Titans were led in scoring by Kristin Steckmesser with 17 points, while Jamie Turtenwald contributed 15 points and Melissa Schweitzer and Kay Mikolajczak each added 13 points. Mikolajczak also secured a game-best nine rebounds and Turtenwald converted all eight of her free-throw attempts.

UW-Stout advanced to the finals with a wild 71-68 semifinal triumph over UW-Eau Claire (#4). Stacie Anderson hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to clinch the win. Amy Zelinger converted the back end of a pair of free throws to break a 68-68 tie with 24 seconds left and the Blue Devils forced a Blugold turnover to set up Anderson’s free throws. UW-Eau Claire had a final chance after a timeout, but could not get a decent shot off and UW-Stout recovered the rebound to run out the clock. Anderson put UW-Stout ahead, 66-64, with 1:44 left by nailing a three-pointer. The Blugolds’ Sarah Hughes tied the game at 66 with a put-back with 1:15 remaining. Erin Churchill gave the Blue Devils a 68-66 lead with two free throws, but Emilee Planert tied the score on a baseline drive. The game was tight in the first half, with UW-Stout holding a 33-32 halftime lead. The Blue Devils connected on 21-of-26 free throws for the game, including 20-of-23 in the second half. Amy Zelinger led five players in double figures with a game-best 19 points, while Stacie Anderson and Laura Verdegan each scored 12 points. Kristi Channing recorded a team-high 17 points for UW-Eau Claire, while Becca Spaeth and Sarah Hughes each scored 13 points. Spaeth added a game-best 10 rebounds.

UW-Stout poured in a tournament-record 97 points and established tournament marks with 26 assists and 24 steals in a 97-73 win over UW-La Crosse (#8) in the quarterfinals.

2001 Tournament

UW-Eau Claire (#1) won the second consecutive tournament title with a thrilling 78-76 triumph over UW-Platteville (#7) at W.L. Zorn Arena in front of 1,150 spectators. The Pioneers took a 76-71 lead on a three-pointer by Grace Foster with 1:19 remaining, but UW-Eau Claire’s Vanessa Schley hit a pair of free throws with 1:04 left and Jessie Brantner tied the game with a three-pointer with 28 seconds remaining. The Pioneers' Tifanie Brady had a shot roll in and out of the rim, and the Blugolds rebounded the ball with 17 seconds remaining. Brantner missed her first chance at the tie-breaker, but after a jump ball on the rebound, the possession arrow gave the ball to UW-Eau Claire with four ticks left. Brantner drove from the left side and put up a runner as the buzzer sounded for the win. Brantner finished with a game-high 19 points and also grabbed seven rebounds, while Janel Soppeland had a game-best 10 rebounds. Brady and Laurie Buechel led UW-Platteville with 18 points.

UW-Platteville earned a spot in the championship bout with an exciting 80-78 win over UW-Stevens Point in the semifinals. The Pioneers’ Laurie Buechel hit a running jump shot in the lane with 5.9 seconds left for the game-winner. The Pointers inbounded the ball with 5.9 seconds left, got it near halfcourt and called timeout with 1.9 seconds remaining. The Pointers threw a long bounce pass and Tara Schmitt caught it, spun and shot. The ball bounced off the rim at the buzzer, touching off a wild Pioneer celebration. UW-Stevens Point jumped to a 22-9 lead and kept a 13-point advantage (34-21) with 6:23 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers answered with a 16-5 run to close within 39-35. Buechel led UW-Platteville with 19 points, while Angie Sisson and Cassie Horgan each added 12 points. Carry Boehning and Kari Groshek each scored 23 points for UW-Stevens Point with Boehning adding a game-high 14 rebounds. Jessica Granger and Andrea Kraemer each dished out six assists.

UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point recorded the first tournament wins in program history in quarterfinal matchups. The Pioneers shocked UW-Oshkosh (#2), 68-57, in the biggest upset in tournament history after jumping out to a 20-6 lead at the 9:47 mark of the first half and taking a 36-24 halftime advantage. UW-Oshkosh scored the first 14 points of the second half for a 38-36 lead with 12:26 remaining. UW-Platteville outscored UW-Oshkosh, 19-9, during the final 6:06 of the game, hitting 15-of-18 shots from the free-throw line. The win was the first for the Pioneers over the Titans in the last 24 meetings. Allison Rotramel scored a game-high 20 points for the Pioneers, while Laurie Buechel added 13 points, five steals and three assists. Jenelle Ristau led UW-Oshkosh with 18 points and Jamie Turtenwald and Abby Holler each grabbed six rebounds.

2000 Tournament

UW-Eau Claire (#1) claimed the first tournament crown in program history with a 56-45 victory over UW-Oshkosh (#2) at W.L. Zorn Arena in the second straight championship matchup between the two schools with 2,450 onlookers in attendance. The Blugolds outscored the Titans 11-0 during the final 4:22 of the first half to take a 32-20 halftime advantage. UW-Oshkosh never got closer than seven points in the second half as they fell to UW-Eau Claire for the third time during the season. Jayme Anderson led four Blugolds in double-figures with 15 points, while Jessie Brantner, Vanessa Schley and Kristi Channing each contributed 10 points. Anderson also had nine rebounds, while Schley added eight rebounds. Jennie Vosters led the Titans with 14 points and a game-best 15 rebounds.

UW-Stout (#4) upended UW-River Falls (#5) by a 92-82 margin in the quarterfinals as the Falcons’ point total set a tournament mark for the highest losing score. Amy Zelinger led five Blue Devils in double-figures with 15 points, while Aslynn Johnson, Andrea Bresette and Stacie Anderson each added 13 points. The Blue Devils set a tournament mark with 12 three-point field goals made. Steph Olson scored a game-high 22 points for UW-River Falls, while Andrea Long contributed 18 points and JoLynn Sieburg match a tournament record with 10 assists.

UW-Superior (#8) and UW-Whitewater (#3) earned their first tournament victories. The Yellowjackets defeated UW-La Crosse in the play-in game, while the Warhawks beat UW-Platteville in the quarterfinals.

1999 Tournament

UW-Oshkosh (#1) captured the first-ever tournament championship with a 79-60 win over UW-Eau Claire (#2) in front of 986 spectators at Albee Hall. Tied at 14, UW-Oshkosh's Jennie Vosters scored 16 of the team's next 20 points as the Titans grabbed a 34-22 lead with 7:56 left in the first half. The Titans outrebounded UW-Eau Claire, 49-28, enroute to the third triumph over the Blugolds during the season. Vosters and Kristin Steckmesser each had a game-best 20 points for the Titans. UW-Eau Claire’s Jayme Anderson and Jessie Brantner tied for team honors with 14 points.

UW-River Falls’ (#6) Missy Johnson poured in a tournament record 33 points, but the Falcons dropped an 88-77 semifinal decision to UW-Eau Claire. Johnson converted 10-of-18 shots from the field and 13-of-18 from the free-throw line, while grabbing nine rebounds. Her 18 free-throw attempts also established a tournament mark.

UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls and UW-Stout (#4) recorded their first tournament victories in quarterfinal matchups. The Falcons posted the first “upset” in tournament history, beating UW-Whitewater (#3) 71-66.

UW-La Crosse (#8) claimed the victory in the first-ever tournament game with a 59-57 win over UW-Superior (#9) in the play-in game. Becky Bohringer registered a game-high 21 points and six steals for the Eagles, while Kay Galuska added 12 points. Terri Olsen led the Yellowjackets with 12 points, while Mandy Giffen had a game-high 12 rebounds.

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